ArmA 2 mod DayZ getting standalone release

If you’ve played military shooter ArmA 2, chances are you’ve heard of DayZ, a mod that turns the game into a multiplayer open world zombie-fest where no one is to be trusted as you struggle to survive. The mod is brilliant, if not a little rough around the edges in this early stage, and perhaps that’s why ArmA 2 developer Bohemia Interactive has decided to turn it into a full release. DayZ creator Dean “Rocket” Hall announced the game today, saying that he will become project lead with Bohemia Interactive acting as publisher.

“That’s right, this is actually happening,” Hall wrote on the DayZ blog. “This is the fairy-tale outcome for a mod that many would have said impossible four months ago.” Hall says that development on the mod will occur alongside development of the game, so those currently playing the mod can continue to enjoy it. He likens the development process of the full DayZ game to that of Minecraft, meaning that the game will be released very early in the development cycle (for a discounted price, of course) and will be getting frequent updates after that.

This has to be exciting news for those who have been playing DayZ since the start. With Bohemia Interactive backing it, Hall will be able to make the game he envisions at a much faster pace, and we’ll likely see additional features in the full game that probably wouldn’t have made it into the mod. More importantly, it’s good to see a developer that’s eager to support a team of modders who are clearly very talented.

Hall apologizes for the lack of details in his announcement today, but promises that more updates about this full DayZ game will be coming shortly. We don’t have a launch date for this planned DayZ alpha yet, but we expect that to be one of the first details Hall and Bohemia part with. Get excited folks, because if this full game is as awesome as the mod is, then we are all in for a treat (a bloody treat, but a treat nonetheless).